Eagles, 49ers journey QBs Hurts, Purdy to brink of Tremendous bowl
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The late-game meltdowns stick in San Francisco.
Take the Tremendous Bowl towards Kansas Metropolis following the 2019 season. The 49ers turned the third group in Tremendous Bowl historical past to cough up a 10-point lead within the second half and lost to the Chiefs. Or final season’s NFC title recreation, when a 17-7 lead unraveled due to a dropped interception, a conservative fourth-down name and an interception on the ultimate drive. Winner, Rams.
One other blown alternative at a championship that is laborious to neglect.
“As you return to final 12 months, we had been a few performs away from making it to the Tremendous Bowl once more,” broad receiver Deebo Samuel mentioned. “What’s it actually going to take for us to get there? We simply have to reduce the errors and everyone must be on their assignments.”
Close to perfection.
That’s a fairly heady process for any group, a lot much less one headed into Philadelphia, the place the chilly, an MVP finalist and the top-seeded group within the NFC await. It’s going to get loopy loud — or is it loopy and loud? — at Lincoln Monetary Area.
The 49ers say they’re prepared. They’ve received 12 straight video games, together with seven in a row since rookie Brock Purdy, a seventh-round draft choose, took over at quarterback after Jimmy Garoppolo was injured.
The second-seeded 49ers have been getting ready to including a sixth Tremendous Bowl for years, and their look Sunday within the NFC championship recreation is their third in 4 seasons. The Eagles might not have been a preseason favourite to get right here, however a sequence of daring strikes — notably the acquisitions of wide receiver A.J. Brown, linebacker Haason Reddick, cornerback James Bradberry and security C.J. Gardner-Johnson — have turned them right into a group with a Tremendous Bowl-or-bust outlook.
Need close to perfection? The Eagles know one thing about that in Professional Bowl QB Jalen Hurts’ begins, with a 14-1 report within the common season and final week’s playoff victory towards the New York Giants. Hurts is taking part in by means of the lingering results of a sprained proper shoulder that value him two video games. He’s placing in additional time forward of his greatest take a look at of the season towards the 49ers’ No. 1-ranked protection.
“It’s in his DNA to be right here always engaged on his craft,” Eagles coach Nick Sirianni mentioned. “Whether or not that’s within the weight room, whether or not that’s within the coaching room, whether or not that’s within the movie room, this man is obsessive about getting higher.”
Hurts had some doubters that he was the real-deal franchise QB headed into coaching camp. He worn out any issues just about after the opening-week win towards Detroit and stored piling up huge numbers and wins to the purpose the place he was an NFL MVP finalist.
All that’s retaining Hurts from a Tremendous Bowl, the Eagles’ second in six seasons, is the final choose of the draft.
Perhaps it’s extra than simply Purdy’s play — he is had a meteoric rise this season from “ Mr. Irrelevant ” to undefeated rookie QB within the NFC title recreation — that helps the 49ers. He has no reminiscence of the Tremendous Bowl collapse. He performed no position within the debacle towards the Rams.
Purdy simply is aware of methods to win.
“He has a pure potential to play the place and that’s why he’s enjoyable to educate as a result of when he does make errors and do issues, he can see it, he can know why, we are able to see it and we are able to all perceive it,” 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan mentioned.
He provides them an opportunity, one cause the oddsmakers list the 49ers as just 2 1/2-point underdogs, in accordance with FanDuel Sportsbook.
SILENT COUNT
Purdy hasn’t had a lot expertise taking part in in a hostile atmosphere throughout his temporary NFL profession with solely two street begins. The primary one at notoriously loud Seattle ought to have offered a very good take a look at for what Purdy will face Sunday in Philadelphia. Purdy obtained expertise that week utilizing the silent depend, which Shanahan instructed him on the time can be useful sooner or later.
“He did say it was good preparation for what we’d should play when it comes to the playoffs, happening the street for street video games and clearly Philadelphia,” Purdy mentioned. “In these type of video games, it’s all about communication. How are you going to function easily, get out and in of the huddle, get the play off the proper manner, ensure everyone seems to be on the identical web page. In order that’s undoubtedly an enormous emphasis this week.”
SLOWING HURTS
The 49ers’ aggressive protection hasn’t had many possibilities towards cellular quarterbacks this season, with solely six groups going through fewer run makes an attempt by QBs than the 50 towards San Francisco. That figures to alter towards Hurts and the Eagles, who use designed quarterback runs and scrambles as an enormous a part of their offense. Hurts rushed for 760 yards and 13 TDs this season.
“Any time you’re going through a quarterback that has that sort of potential, you simply obtained to be in your assignments for a full 60 minutes, which is manner simpler mentioned than completed,” All-Professional linebacker Fred Warner mentioned. “There’s instances in a recreation the place you may be a part of a protracted drive, guys get drained and swiftly the very first thing that goes is your thoughts and also you neglect the place you may want to slot in a sure play. It’s all about being detailed and everyone swarming to the ball if and when he does (run).”
CLOSING TIME
The Niners have had nice success ending the primary half on a excessive word since Purdy took over. Within the eight video games since he stepped in, San Francisco has scored 4 TDs and two subject targets for a league-best 34 factors within the closing 2 minutes of the primary half. The Eagles have allowed solely three factors within the closing 2 minutes of the primary half of their final eight video games.
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AP Professional Soccer Author Josh Dubow in Santa Clara, California, contributed to this report.
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